CFISD superintendent concerned about financing bill

Brandon De Hoyos

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, August 18, 2005

SB 8, authored by Plano Sen. Florence Shapiro, is the latest effort from legislators in Austin to make educational reforms for the state. According to Anthony, when the House's earlier attempt, House Bill 2, failed in the first of two special congressional sessions Gov. Perry called this summer, SB 8, with identical provisions to HB 2, was born.

At the CFISD school board meeting last Monday, Cheryl Salyards, the assistant to the superintendent, announced the sudden decision of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to take up a vote on the controversial education bill, saying it was a major item of concern for the district.

Just Aug. 4, Salyards reported to the trustees at the district's committee of the whole meeting that Speaker of the House Tom Craddick had said the House was in impasse and that the session should end.

"The drama part of this is, given the announcement Speaker Craddick had made, is that the lieutenant governor's intent is that they pass out a bill, Senate Bill 8 in particular, that will serve as a catalyst for the House to continue moving forward," Salyards said.

On Aug. 9, after nearly three hours of debate and the suspension of Senate rules, the Senate passed SB 8 with a vote of 19-10.

Upon suspension of rules, only a majority vote was necessary to pass the bill and move it to the House for review.

Anthony says now that the legislation has passed in the Senate, he is concerned with the possible House passage of two provisions of the bill, which the superintendent says may have a negative impact on CFISD.

"Although there are some positive elements in SB 8, let me alert you to the following two provisions that will have a negative impact on our students," Anthony said, in an open letter on the district's website. "The bill will not provide a long-term solution for adequate funding for our schools. Unresolved budget deficits equate to programmatic and personnel cuts."

According to Anthony, under the current system, CFISD has had a deficit budget for the past three years. Budget deficits, he said, will continue if the new legislation is passed, which will deplete the district's funding reserves.

Anthony also says despite proposals to lower property taxes and increase school funding, new mandates and insufficient transportation costs render the funding inadequate.

The superintendent says with the passage of this legislation by the House, local control will also be diminished by limiting the school board's role in determining the school calendar, requiring a post-Labor Day start date.

"[SB 8] will increase the need for summer programs for at-risk students in our district which has limited funds," Anthony said. "Teachers will receive a salary increase, but due to a September start date, will not receive paychecks in August 2006."

Additionally, Anthony says the compressed calendar will eliminate or significantly reduce holidays and require students to take first-semester exams in January after the winter break.

"Let us not forget the charge to the legislature, which was to design a school funding system that would provide adequate and equitable resources for the public school children in Texas," Anthony said. "SB 8 does not meet this challenge for our district. CFISD will be faced with continued deficit budgets and difficult programmatic and personnel decisions. The current system should not be replaced with legislation that does not provide adequacy and capacity for funding public schools."

With the school year beginning in the midst of the second summer session in Austin, which is to end on or before Aug. 19, Anthony says the community's efforts have gained the attention of many legislators and that a high level of involvement is needed to make changes for the better.

"Our community has gained a reputation of evaluating proposed legislation, submitting input and expecting lawmakers to represent our children, schools and community," Anthony said. "If you have an opinion, we urge you to get involved and communicate with your legislators until this session has officially ended."